Colorado's death penalty took one step toward the grave Wednesday as lawmakers in the state House gave initial approval to a bill that would end capital punishment and use the savings to solve cold cases.

House Bill 1274 progresses as lawmakers prepare to take up a proposal next week that would drastically cut sentences for nonviolent, drug and property offenses and end jail time altogether for some offenders.

Both plans have earned the ire of district attorneys, who argue that such changes will encourage crime and make it more difficult to properly punish the most heinous criminals.

Five Democrats stood with the Republican caucus in opposing HB 1274, though it wasn't enough to kill the legislation.

House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, the bill's sponsor, isn't celebrating yet, saying the final role call vote on the bill will pose a tough hurdle. He's pitching the legislation as a way to save state money and make streets safer by helping to clear some of Colorado's 1,400-plus unsolved murder cases.

"You can debate all day long the morality of the death penalty. You'll never resolve it," said Weissmann, D-Louisville. "Any other part of government that spent this much money and was so rarely used would be one of the first things we set out to cut."

Colorado has executed one person in four decades and has two more murderers on death row.

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The bill's opponents argued that without the death penalty, there would be no checks on inmates already sentenced to life who might kill guards or other inmates, or order killings from prison.

Some critics, like Democratic Rep. Edward Casso of Thornton, said capital punishment is one of a handful of issues voters should decide directly.

Legislative analysts estimate the bill could save Colorado about $800,000 a year and put $883,000 a year toward solving cold-case murders.

Meanwhile, the bill to overhaul Colorado's sentencing scheme is also being pitched as a way to save millions of dollars by putting fewer people in prison for shorter durations. Proponents say treatment and probation get better results than jail time for low-level offenders.

While Senate Bill 286 wouldn't change penalties for murderers and sex criminals, some violent offenders would get much shorter sentences, said Ted Tow, director of the Colorado District Attorney's Council.

He said the maximum penalty for aggravated assault would drop from 32 years to 20 years. He also questioned whether there would be time to consider such sweeping changes this session.

"To minimize the sentence sends a very clear message to the criminal element that we're not going to hold you accountable for your actions," Tow said.

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